i - - : ; i m
A HANDSOME GIFT.
KLY
rututiu -
WILMINGTON, M C,
AT
,l!oO A YEAR. IN ADVANCE.
Presented to Mayor A. M. Wad-
dell By Former Citizens
of Wilmington.
VOL. XXX.
WILMINGTON, N. C,, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1898.
NO. 11 CITY ALDERMEN IN SESSION
Wee
Star.
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SUBSCRIPTION P
ICE.
The subscription price of the We
ly Star is as
ollows
vcjtle Copy l year, postage paid .91 00
S months
SECRET MACHINATIONS.
In discussing the question of ex
pansion a couple days ago, referring
especially to the Philippines, we
spoke of the contingencies by which
we might be confronted in the
event - we found ourselves" antago
nized by the Filipiuos and it be
came necessary to use force to com
pel recognition of our authority.
We said that in that event the Fili
pinos would in all probability have
the covert if not the open assistance
of European powers which may be
jealous of our assertiveness or grow
ing power. That we were not so far
out is shown by the following Wash
ington correspondence of the Phila
delphia Record, under date of the
10th inst. : . . .
"President McKinley proposes to
hold the Philippines as against the
European Powers with a strong hand,
arid in addition to Admiral Dewey's
naval force, and the Oregon, Iowa and
other ships on the way to Manila, con
templates sending: additional vessels
until our squadron is equal to any two
of the Asiatic squadrons of European
Powers. For obvious reasons of di
plomacy the Administration cannot
publicly avow its apprehensions re
specting possible interference by one
or more European Powers, but it was
disclosed to-day that Germany, in par
ticular, has aroused the suspicion of the
Administration by meddling at Hong
kong and Manila, secretly, in attempts
to stir up the natives against the Unit
ed States, for this is the form which
foreign interference would take, inas
mucn as nenner uermany nor any
.1 1 3 1 r ' J
ship for the United States and to dis
.rfaim any purpose to interfere with
our operations in the Philippines. But
behind these ' official expressions has
run ever since Admiral Dewey destroy
e.flthf Spanish fleet a series of un
friendly acts on the Dart of German
naval and civil officials and German
citizens at Hong Kong and Manila.
It was learned to day that a large
shipment oCarms and ammunition, in
tended for Aguinaldo, was held up. at
Bong Korg recently by the British
officials at the request of our represn
tatives. and that, while it could not be
officially demonstrated that Germans
were back of the attempt to strenghen
the insurgents for possible outbreak,
uur rc(iicacuianve5 were muraiiy cer
tain that Germans were at the bottom
of the business.
Kussian intrigue was tne other pos
sible cause of this peculiar transaction,
but the burden of proof favored the
theory that it was the work of Ger
mans. President McKinley has rea
lized all along that notwithstanding
official professions, Germany, Russia
and France, in the order named, were
likely to meddle in the Philippines by
secret dealings with the natives, and
that every attempt would be made to
stir up insurrection against our au
monty, witn tne view or making us
withdraw in order that they might di
vide tne islands anions themselves
"He siw this before most of his
Cabinet officers could see it. and he
has taken measures to prevent serious
consequences, even against the advice
of some of his cabinet officers. The
sending of the Oregon and Iowa to
Manila, which is now admitted to be
their destination, was done - by his
direct personal orders, although mem
bers of his Cabinet told him they did
not believe it was necessary.
''In view of a moral support of Great
Britain, which is ready to be converted
into physical support if necessary, as
all the Powers understand, an open
attack on our forces in the Philippines
is out of the question, and gives the
Administration no concern, but the
and the Administration's purpose
is tomaiie them absolutely inetrectu
ai.
It seem3 from this that the Ad
ministration is prepared to fight if
necessary to retain our grip on the
Philippines,, and this is right if we
propose to take a grip. What we
do we must be prepared to defend
by force if need be for national
manhood and national honor would
demand and make that imperative.
No oho who ha! kept himself in
formed on the progress of events
after the hostilities with Spain be
gan has the least doubt that Spain
had the sympathy and to soma ex
tent the secret support of some of
the European powers, and there is
as little doubt that it was only
the well grounded belief in
an understanding between this
country, Great Britain and Ja
pan which prevented this sym-
pathy from taking the form of open
assistance. We know of the offen
sive, performances of that German
Admiral in the harbor of Manila
and how it became necessary for
Admiral Dewey to demand" an ex
planation and to give him to under
stand that such conduct would be
no longer tolerated. The German
commander found that there was a
British ship in the harbor which
would respond to-any aggressive ac
tion taken by Admiral Dewey, ' and
he shortly afterwards sailed for
Hong Kong. These incidents are
matters of history and with such
'
S I -
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L
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it -
II -
evidences of unfriendliness what rea
son have we to believe that the
ppwer that showed them would not
take advantage of any opportunity
that presented itself to carry out
the game that inspired this un
friendliness? -
Few nations are actuated by pure
ly disinterested motives, or by sen
timent op humanity, whatever their
professions may be. In nine cases
out of ten, at least, they will be
found to be actuated by selfish mo
tives, in which neither sentiment,
humanity nor . honesty figure. As
we are showing something of this
ourselves in the policy of expansion,
we need not be surprised to encoun
terJseme of it as the policy of ex
pansion progresses. If we succeed,
either by adroit management or by
candid dealings, in placating and
securing .the acquiescence of the
Filipinos, we may escape it; but if
we so manage as to excite hostility,
rendering force necessary to the as
sertion of authority, then the secret
plotting will begin and the powers
that failed to carry out their
schemes whilethe war with Spain
was in progress will give covert aid
to the men who may resist the as
sertion of that authority. If cir
cumstances give encouragement
this coverti assistance would soon
be open and we would find ,4he
Philippines a very troublesome ele
phant. This might not be next
year, nor the year after, but
permanent occupation ' means per
manent defence. Nations do not
scheme nor plan for a day; they look
ahead and plan for years hence.
The property that we now get by a
trade with Spain, may come to us
quietly, and two, five or ten years
hence we may -have to wage vigorous
and costly war to protect and hold it.
This is one of the contingencies
that the advocates of this expansion
policy should carefully consider, for
it is not the assertion of authority at
present which is the serious ques
tion, but the continued maintenance
of that authority i That we can hold
them against the Filipinos, if ugly;
there is no doubt, but in the!; event
they have the secret encouragement
and aid of one or more European
powers, holding them would be an
exceedingly expensive business, in
which we would lose inestimably
more than wekwould gain. With the
assertion of our authority over the
Philippines with a view to perma
nent occupation, and to holding
them as dependencies, the trouble
will not be ended, but just begun.
REPEATING A FAILURE.
The next Congress of the United
States will be Republican in both
branches, with a Republican Presi
dent. Already several bounty
schemes have been proposed to aid
our commerce by stimulating the
building of ships. It is not likely
that they expect to carry any of
those schemes through in the clos
ing session of this Congress, but
they undoubtedly do in the next,
for the President favors bounties and
will sign any bounty bill that may
be passed.
The purpose of such legislation is
good, and if it accomplished the
purpose and there were no other
way to accomplish it the people
might submit to it without serious
complaint, but like the protective
tariff which was ostensibly adopted
to foster' bur "infant industries,"
but is kept up and increased after
those industries have grown large
enough to ' "wear boots," as some
statesman whose name we have for
gotten expressed it, bounties for
ships are simply legislative bonuses
to the few, taken out of the pockets
of the many, for which the many
receive no equivalent whatever.
In his message to Congressjthe
President favors bounties, and so
doeB Secretary Gage in his report,
where he says that we pay to foreign
ship-owners $150,000,000 ayear to do
our carry ng on the oceans. The
Secretary takes the safe side and
rather underestimates than overesti
mates the amount of money thus an
nually expended, which others who
are competent to make estimates say
will amount to $200,000,000, and
others $300,000,000. -ut to save
an expenditure of $150,000,000 Sec
retary Gage thinks a sufficient reason
why we should do everything possi
ble to build up a merchant marine,
and it is, but it is not a reason for
bounties, unless it can be fully estab
lished that bounties will give us a
merchant marine, that we couldn't
have it without bounties, and then,
that after being built it can be kept
up without bounties, which will not
be easy to Bhow. ,
There are in this country men
who rank high as far-seeing, broad
viewed statesmen who believe that
the way to giye us an American mer
chant marine is to remove the re
strictions that j hamper American
enterprise and peimit the American
ship master to buy his ships where
he can buy them to the best ad
vantage, raise the American flag
over them and sail them as Ameri
can ships, just as the ship masters
of most of the European countries
do, who are permitted to have built
or buy their ships wherever they
can do that on better terms than
they can in their own countries.
This is the reason, although per
haps not the only one, why the
merchant marines of all the mari
time nations of Europe, and' of
Japan also, have been increasing
while ours has (been diminishing
until it cuts no, figure on the seas.
Retaining these' restrictions per
petuating, the out-of-date navigation
laWs and adopting the bounty sys
tem is substantially telling the
American who wishes to invest
money in the ocean carrying busi
ness that he must have his ships
built in American ship-yards, no
matter what their prices may be, or
go without them, and keep out of
the business unless he wishes to en
gage in it under some other flag as
many are now doing. ,
Lieut. Kelley, TJ. S. N., seven
teen years ago. published a paper on
"Free Ships and Subsidies' in
which he attacks the subsidy folly,
some extracts "from which we find in
the Philadelphia Ledger, Speaking
of the decadence of our merchant
marine he says:
"We arev paying annually to for
eigner i for freight, mails and passen
gers over $120,000,000, which, to quote
Senator Beck, never returns to us, hut
strengthens and enriches people who
are rivals in peace, and may be at any
time our rivals in war. By law and
by treaty we have given to foreigners
the right to carry our, goods from, and
to bring their products to, our ports
in cheap-built foreign ships; the
American sailor is almost unknown
upon the sea, and the sixty thousand
we had in our merchant marine at the
beginning of the war (1861) have al
most disappeared, by transference to
other allegiances, or relegation to
shore pursuits. Our carrying trade
has diminished from 75 per cent, in
1856 to a discoverable 17 per cent, in
1880, and this, which spells ruin, is
euphemized as decadence.
In 1880 our carrying trade which,
according to Senator Beck, had di
minished from 75 per cent, .of the
total to 17 per cent., had if 1898,
according to ' Secretary .Gage's last
report, fallen to .11 per cent., in
spite of all the pampering and subsi
dies or bounties granted in the
meantime. Mail subsidies were
granted to several lines, notably to
the steamers in the Brazilian Jrade,
and to the ' Trans-Pacific (Swamers
plying between the Sotrtn Pacific
islands and Asiatic ports, and yet
instead of increasing those Pacific
steamers have decreased in number,
the reason assigned being that they
cannot compete with the Japanese
ship-owners who have the privilege
of buying their ships or having them
built wherever they can do it to the
best advantage. And yet it is pro
posed, notwithstanding the failure
of this experiment, to repeat it on a
more general and colossal scale.
Speaking of the injustice of the
bounty system and its effect on the
uusubsidized ships Lieut. Kelley
says:
"When Congress, compensates
steamship lines for running at a loss,
or pays the difference between the
cost of running and what the owners
consider a fair proht on their invest
ment, the subsidized lines alone are
prohted, and the unprotected, but re
stricted, ships succumb to the unequal
conflict. For years the ships
builders have been protected, and each
year fewer ships have been built; sub
sidies have been tried, but commerce
has still languished. There
fore it is that many men believe that a
exists, first in the repeal of the Naviga
tion laws ; secondly, by the removal of
those other restrictions which have
helped to destroy the fairest promise
of modern days.
There is no authority found in the
constitution of the United States
for granting bounties, any more
than thqje is for this enormously
high protective tariff, takeover both
of which that "general welfare"
clause is stretched unmercifully,
but even if the authority did un
questionably exist, it should not be
exercised unless it was clear" that
the exercise of it would accomplish
what was intended and thus promote
the "general welfare," but when the
experiments has proved to be a fail
ure then there is no excuse or justi
fication for imposing bounties on the
many for the benefit of the few, when
it is the few only who are benefitted.
That is legislative robbery.
In commenting upon Lieut.
Kelley's views and vthese bounty
schemes the Ledger remarks:.
"That which the Government should
do. and all it should do. in this mat
ter. is to pay, with the utmost : liber-
aiitv. the shiD oWhers who carry its
mails or render it any other physical
service. That is business, and it is jus
tice, but if bounties are to be given to
one trade why not to all trades?
The Government has tried to re
establish our lost shipping trade by
errantinar bounties. ' and its efforts
failed. It has given our ship builders
free trade, denied all other industry,
for all their imported materials, and at
the same time prohibited the importa
tion of alien ships, and yet our
goods are carried in foreign ves
sels. The foreigner is at liberty
to buy his ships in the best and
cheapest market. The American is
prohibited buying his ships in ' that
market; he must buy them in the dear
est market, or go wruugut them
mJm J
If our navigation lam are ex
amined, there will be frfind in their
extraordinary provisions the germs
of the malady which has destroyed our
shipping trade. Thfty were made for
ship builders, for the protection of the
ship building tirade. What they have
done in the way of promoting
the building of snips for the Euro
pean trade is to be seen in the
ridiuloualy diminutive fleet of Amerl
can bunt steams nips in that trafnc
There is a very common opinion, or
conviction, that a revision of our anti
quated navigation laws would do much
more for tne restoration of our roeign
shipping trade than the proposed de-
pletion oj the Federal Treasury by the
payment or oounnes or suosiuiea,
which are a tax upon the whole for
the advantage of a few people. Why
should not the experiment be tried of
giving. American merchants the same
conditions of successful enterprise as
are enjoyed by the merchants of every
other country in the world? If free
ships have expanded their commerce.
why will they not extend ours?
The Ledger is an independent
paper which speaks for a commer
cial constituency and believes in
moderate protection to our indus
tries, but it distinguishes between
that and legislative plundering for
the benefit of favorites under the
pretence Of building up our indus
tries and promoting the "general
welfare." If they want to have a
merchant marine that will cost the
tax payers of this country nothing,
and will serve the purposes of our
growing commerce, they will repeal
the antiquated navigation laws, re
move the restrictions from Ameri
can enterprise and let it buy its
ships where it can buy the cheapest,
which means free ships and unham
pered commerce, as far as carrying
goes. - -
THESE TWO AGREE.
There is a good deal of kicking by
Northern negroes because Southern
negroes are not accorded equal po
litical rights and privileges with the
white man, while, as a matter
of fact, they are not accorded
these privileges in the Northern
-States, where they might be ac
corded without a tenth part of the
embarrassment or serious conse
quences that would follow it in any
Southern State.
While they are thus kicking it is
nteresting to note how this ques
tion is viewed by others, white and
black, and how they would solve the
race problem, politically speaking.
In his recent tour through Georgia
and Alabama, Mr. McKinley spoke
very plainly on this question with
out seeming to have it especially in
view, but his language was so plain
that no one of offTtnary intelligence
could misunderstand it.
The Secretary of Agriculture,
Wilson, is a Republican of the
strictest type. He accompanied the
President on his Southern tour, and
was mucn interested in the farm
and other agricultural features of
the Tuskegee school, wljere he
talked to the boys about farming,
and the opportunities it. presented
to them of getting on in the world.
In speaking of this to a correspon
dent of the Washington Star he said,
after referring to the advantages
the (South presented for diversified
farming:
"lam one man who believes that
the Southern man understands the
negro better than the men of the North.
When I talked to the colored boys
down here the last time I advised
them to keep out of politics. 'Now,
boys,' I said, 'get out your pencils and
paper. In one column put down the
salaries of every politician holding
office in this (your) county. In a
parallel column put down the value of
the eggs laid in the county. The
hens will make more money every
day than the politicians. Therefore,
raise more chickens, raise your meats,
and learn to make your farms pay and
produce a livelihood. Keep out of
politics. This is really the salvation
of the negro. Education and scientific
farming will bring him wealth and
independence."
There isn't inueh politics in this,
but every one who knows the ne-J
groes knows it was good hard
sense to talk to him, and that it is
one of the practical ways to solve
the race problem, as far as politics
is concerned.
As illustrative of that we; quote
the following from the Washington
Post, showing how a level-headed
North Carolina negro, following on
the lines suggested by Mr. Wilson,
solved it for "himself:
"1 have a brother down in North
Carolina," said Henry Hardy, a well
known and intelligent colored man,
who was waiting to see a member of
Congress at the Ebbitt, "that has
solved the race question, so far as he
is individually concerned. He owns
two good farms, and has quite a large
number of horses, mules and cows,
All this property he earned by steady
attention to business, hie takes no
interest in politics. The best white
people of the county are his friends.
and his note for a considerable sum is
as good at the bank as any man's.
"My own observation is that the
better class of whites and the respect
able portion of black people who mind
their own business and have no time
to loaf about, get on well together in
the South. A certain class of white
men, generally the sort we call poor
trash, are responsible for all the cruel
ties that have been inflicted on inno
cent neeroes. .and I must admit, also.
that there are a good many worthless
negroes who commit vile deeds and
bring reproach on the whole race. "
A WORLD'S DAT.
Every nation has an anniversary
of some kind which it celebrates
either with military, civic or re
ligious ceremony, sometimes with all
three, but there is only one day that
the world celebrates, for there is no
land under the sun that the Chris
tian has not entered, and where the
Christian is there Christmas comes
with glad and reverend greeting
Then the Christian family draws
closer together than it does any
other day in the year and then the
heart beats more generously and
more warmly than it does any other
day 1p the year.
To the old it comes with the fond
recollection of younger and perhaps
brighter and happier days.
To the young it comes with glad
anticipations of the good things in
store and the joy it will bring.
v To the poor it comes as a day in
which they are more kindly remem
bered than on any other day of the
year.
And to the rich it comes as a day
when they can indulge in something
more ttian ordinary benevolence, and
help to make the world brighter and
more cheery.
The large hearted man grows
larger hearted and even the penu
rious become more liberal, untie
their purse-strings and ungrudingly
part with some of the hoarded
treasure. Doesn't all this make the
world better while it makes it
brighter, merrier and happier? .
Isn't it good that there is at least
one day in which the Christian family
is drawn more closely together,
on which thought and affection fly'
the world over to find and remem
ber the loved and absent, on which
the rich think more kindly of the
poor and the poor look more grate
fully to the rich?
It is well that there is one such
day, and a pity there is not more of
them, one day on which the Christian
family draws closer together, with
a more fraternal feeling, and shows
a disposition to add to the joys or
ighten the burdens or lessen the sor
rows of others. "
Let us be thankful for such a day,
and while we are thankful, if we are
among the favored on whose path
way the genial sunshine fails, let us
wish that it may be a glad, and hap
py day to all. J
This is the wish and the greeting
of the Star, which" would, if it
could, fill the world with gladness.
Here are some
singular coinci-
dences. There is a Mary Washing
ton hospital at Freder cksburg, Va.
George Washington Smith drew the
plan of the building, and George
Washington superintended the build
ing, and both were born on Wash
ington's birthday, the 22l of Febru
ary. A poultry journal is authority for
the statement that "buckwheat is a
good egg-producer." We are not up
in poultry lore but we will risk the
opinion that as an egg-producer
buckwheat can't hold a candle to the
regulation hen.
DEATH OP MRS. P. W. 0RTMANN.
'Occurred at Half-Past Ten O'clock Yes.
terday Morning at Her Home.
Many friends in this city will hear
with much regret of the death of Mrs.
Caroline Ortmann, which occurred at
their residence, No. 104 North Fifth
street, yesterday morning at 10.30
o'clock. Mrs. Ortmann had been in
ill health for more than a year, and
had borne with Christian fortitude a
long period of suffering until death
summoned her yesterday morning.
She was born in Lubeck, Germany, in
the year 1842, and later moved to this
country. She was married twice, the
last time to Mr. F. W. Ortmann, one
of Wilmington's best German citizens.
Four children, who have the sym
pathy of many friends in their bereave
ment, survive her. They are Messrs.
F. W. Ortmann, Jr., H. E. Ortmann,
Miss Elsie Ortmann and Mrs. G. J.
McMillan, all of whom reside in this
city.
For a number of years she was a
consistent and valuable member of
St. Paul's Lutheran church and was fif
ty-six years of age at the time of her
death.
The funeral will be conducted this
afternoon at 3 o'clock, thence to St.
Paul's church and to Oakdale cemete
ry, where the interment will be made.
IT WAS PROMPT ACTION,
Quick Work of the Authorities
Isolating a Negro Believed to
Have Small Pox.
In
A ripple of excitement was created in
medical circles here yesterday-after
noon by a report from Dr. C. P. Wer
tenbaker. of the Marine Hospital, that
he had found a case of small pox. It
seems that William Barnett,, a negro
carpenter, was sent to the Hospital
by Lewis Guger, colored, to do a job
of carpentering. While there Dr.
Wer tenbaker noticed that he was
badly broken out, and after an exami
nation pronounced it small pox, so
repdrting it to Dr. McMillan, superin;
tendent of health. f
The Board of Health was hurriedly
called together with Mayor Waddell,
City Engineer McRee and Doctors
Russell, McMillan, Wertenbaker and
Harper present, and arrangements were
made for immediate quarantine to
prevent the spread of the disease.
Hart's vineyard, owned by Mr. E. P
Bailey, was entered as a pest house. It
is about 3 miles below the city.
Barnett, the negro believed to have
the small pox was sent to the pest
house, and Charles Jacobs installed as
cook and Tony Swann as nurse. Capt.
Bob Green, as chief quarantine inspec
tor, has the matter in hand, and is
using all diligence to, as it were, nip
any possible germs in the bud.
Those associated with William Bar
nett in work say that he has had this
affection for quite a while, the
result of a serious chronic blood disease.
Dr. Wertenbaker is an expert in
small pox cases, and the Board of
Health is to be commended for their
remarkable promptness in taking every
step needful to prevent contagion.
ESTEEMED AND VENERABLE
GERMAN CITIZEN DEAD.
Mr. Peter Blomme Died Last
Night
His
Funeral This Afternoon from
Late Residence.
Mr. Peter Blomme, one of Wil
mington's oldest German citizens, died
last night, at 9 o'clock, at his late resi
dence, corner Fifth and Campbell
streets, after abrief illness, '
The deceased was in -the 60th year
of his age and has been a resident of
this city since the civil war. He was
born in Ghent, Belgium, in 1839, and
during the war between the States ran
on a blockade vessel between Wil
mington and Nassau, of the Bahama
islands.
At the close of the war Mr. Blomme
opened a baker's shop on the corner
of Fourth and Red .Gross streets
Subsequently he moved to the corner
of Fifth and Campbell streets, where
at the time of his death he was con
ducting a prosperous bakery.
An aged wife, two sons and two
daughters survive him. The sons are
Messrs. Chas. and J. W. Blomme, both
of this city, the latter having an, interest
in the bakery business,, on Fifth and
Campbell streets. The daughters are
Mesdames J. B. J. Sandlin and W. H.
Howe, both of this city.
Mr. Blomme was a member of of the
Lutheran Church and also of Ger
mania Lodge No. 4 Knights of Pythias.
The members of the lodge will attend
the funeral in a body. The service
will be conducted from the late resi
dence at 3.30 o'clock this afternoon
and the interment will be in Oakdale
cemetery. "
THE PEANUr TRUST.
It is Seeking to Fix the Price of a Crop of
2,600,000 Bushels.
New York Journal.
The last official? estimate of the pea
nut crop in the United States placed it
at 2,600,000 bushels.
The arms of the octopus are reaching
out. A peanut trust is in process of
forming. It is nearly completed. It
will soon be consummated.
Its objects are : To improve the pea
nut to control the price, and to ex
tend the blessings of the American
peanut to the colonies of the United
States and to the peoples of foreign
lands.
Upon the face of it there appears
nothing sinister in this latest trust,
and the usual tale is told by its promo
ters of how the control of this immense
market will be of benefit to the pro
ducer and the consumer alike. But
that remains to be seen.
If the trust seeks to place the sale of
the peanut in a few hands, to quell
the competition of small venders, to
centralize the distribution, thousands
will be hurled into idleness and all
its concomitants of deviltry.
Most of the peanuts are raised in the
Carolinas. Georgia is a great pro
ducer of them also.
The deal has been conducted by
former Governor Cameron, of Ohio,
and a Mr. Weatherby, of New York,
who, dispatches to the Journal say,
have just completed a tour of the
South and made arrrangements with
peanut cleaning establishments for
handling their outputs. They have
got the most of the cleaning factories
into the trust, and think that the com
bination will be completed within two
weeks.
CAPE FEAR AND YADKIN.
Some
Guesses As to Buyers A
Rumor About the Seaboard
Air Line.
New
News and Observer.
The Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley
Railroad will be sold next Thursday
just one week from to-day.
The Seaboard Air Line will not buy
it as is commonly supposed. If it gets
it at all will lease it The lessor will
be the Baltimore committee, headed
by Col. Blackford.
The lease is already drawn and will
probably finally be executed, but it is
by no means a certainty that it will
be. Within the last few days the
Southern Railway has been manifest
insr much interest in the road, and last
night it was stated by an official who
is on the inside of things that the
Southern is backed by the New York
committee and will certainly be a
strong bidder.
"The Southern," my informant went
on to say, "wants the road to prevent
competition with the Seaboard at
Greensboro and farther west.
"And this for a similar reason brings
in another bidder at the other end of
the line the Atlantic Coast Line. It
does not want the Seaboard invading
its territory in the southern part of the
State, or the Southern either, for that
matter.
"Then, of course, there are benefits
to come to either of these systems from
the ownership of this important line
through the State. JKun in connec
tion with either one of the three sys
terns above named it would be valu
able Drorertv." ' i
As the stockholders represented by
the Baltimore part of the first lien
bonds, it is probable that they will be
willing to bid more than any one else
and thereby the Seaboard will ac
quire the property. The lease for it,
which has already been drawn in an
ticipation of such an outcome of the
sale, conveys the property to the Sea
board Air Line system for a term of
years at an annual rental of- 4 per cent.
on $3,0UU,UU0.
The minimum bid that will be ac
cepted at the sale will be $2,000,000,
Inquiring For Stray Mules.
Police headquarters at the City Hall
was besieged last night with telephone
inquiries for stray mules. Mr. Lane,
the night janitor, told a Stab reporter
that up to 2.30 otelock this morning he
had answered no less than eighteen
enquires of this kind, all of them evi
dently coming from different parties in
various sections of the city. No loose
mules had been reported by patrolmen
Mr. Lane thinks that a company of
men at some of the cart-houses were
getting on their Christmas drunk and
allowed their -mules to get away from
them.
AFFAIRS IN MAXTON.
Death of Capt Aydlott Rev. Mr, Brad-
shaw An Aged Colored Woman.
Star Correspondence. J
Maxton, N. Dec. 22.
Capt. M. J. Aydlott ased 69 vears.
who was in charge of - a trestle force
on the Carolina Central railway fpr
the past thirty years, .died Tuesday
night after a brief illness of three
days. The funeral services were held
in the Methodist Church this evening.
and the remains interred in . Oak Hill
cemetery. Deceased was held in high
esteem bv his neighbors nnrl nurriAi.
ous friends. He leaves a widow and
six children, all of whom are grown.
Rev. Mr. Bradshaw, one of the best
oreachers in thn Stat a Vina Wn .
turned to Maxton. to the'dehVht of all
uur peopie. a.e amvea irom JNortonr
1 TT $ .
Wednesday in time to officiate at the
funeral of Cant Avdlnt.t TTa will fill
his pulpit Sundav moraine.
"Aunt iiiz, " colored, one of the first
residents or Maxton, and who must
have been at least one hundred vears
old. died hevp lmri-. waaIt RVia Viarl
been blind for several years.
THE LATE THOS. B. LIPPITT.
Funeral Conducted Yesterday Afternoon
From St. James' Episcopal Church
by Dr. Robert Strange.
aBBBRaaBBBlBB
The funeral of the late Thomas B.
Lippitt, the announcement of whose
death was received with many ex-
.! . a - -m.
pressions or regret by numerous
friends in the city and country,
was held yesterday afternoon at. 4
o'clock from St. James' Episcopal
Church. The services were conducted
by Dr. Robert Strange, rector of St.
James' Churchy in the presence of a
arge assemblage of his friends and
relatives.
Cape Fear Camp No. 254, United
Confederate Veterans, of which he
was a loyal and valued member, at
tended the services in a body.
After the services at the church the
remains, accompanied by the camp of
Confederate veterans and many friends
was taken to Oakdale cemetery, where
the interment was made.
Many beautiful floral tributes were'
laid upon the grave by friends of the
deceased and family.
The pall-bearers who were present
and acted on the sad occasion were:
Honorary CoL J. W. Atkinson,
Capt. Wilkes Morris, Dr. W. -W.
Harrissand Col. T. C. Mcllhenny.
Active Messrs. E. S. Martin, A. A.
Browr . J. Alvis Walker, J. H. Boat-
wright, H. C. McQueen, R. N. Sweet,
L. S. Belden and CoL Roger Moore.
Came to Inspect Rice.
Claudius Dockery, Esq., returned to
the city yesterday from Castle Hayne,
where he went to inspect the rice
raised on the State farms which is now
being prepared for the market Mr.
Dockery is official rice inspector under
appointment of State authorities. To
a member of the Stab staff he said
last night that 10,000 bushels of rice
were raised on the State farms by con
vict labor. The crop required the
labor of thirty-five convicts and the
greater acreage was lands only re
claimed from marshy wastes last year.
The quality of the rice, he says, is
very good. He will return to his
home in Rockingham to-day,
highway Robbery
AT ROCKY MOUNT.
Mr. R. H. Armfield, a Prominent Planter,
Held Up and Robbed of $520 In Cash.
No Clue to the Quilty Parties.
News was received here yesterday of
a highway robbery which occurred
Thursday night near Rocky , Mount.
Mr. R. H. Armfield, a well known and
extensive planter, who resides about
four miles from Rocky Mount, was
held up about three miles out from
the town and robbed of $520. There
were three highwaymen, well masked.
After taking Mr. Armfield's money
they made him get out of his buggy
and the three men got in and drove
off at a high speed, leaving Mr. Arm
field to walk home. Afterwards the
men abandoned the conveyance and
the horse was found at Mr. Armfield's
gate yesterday morning.
No arrests have yet been made and
there is as vet no clue to the guilty
parties. This is said to be the third
robbery of this kind? which has oc
curred about Rocky Mount within the
past few weeks.
MURDER IN RALEIGH.
Alex. Alien, Colored, Charged with Kill
ing His Wife.
' Special Star Telegram.
Raleigh, N. C, December 24.
Alex. Allen, colored, this morning
reported that when he woke he found
his wife dead in bed. An examination
by the neighbors showed that she had
been choked with a rope and blood had
been running from both ears. The
coroner summoned a jury and an in
quest was begun. When Allen was
called, as the first witness, he broke
and ran. The coroner and the jury
pursued, firing, and Allen received a
flesh wound. He was captured and
immediately sent to jail without bail.
For Serjeant-at-Arms.
Capt Jas. B. Smith, ex-Sheriff of
Cumberland county, and one of the
best known and most popular Demo
crats in the State, is a candidate for
Sergeant-at-Arms of the State Senate.
In addition to his undoubted Qualifi
cations for the place, he has a record
as a faithful, working Democrat that
entitles him to most favorable consid
eration. "Jim" is going to be a hard
man to beat
Last Nieht Presentation Soeech BV
Alderman W. H. Sprunt It was
- Expressive of, Apprecation For
His Coarse.
Mayor Waddell was last night
the recipient of a very handsome
gold mounted ivory gavel, pre
sented by a number of former Wil-
mingtonians in recognition of his
patriotic services rendered in common
with many other citizens during and
after the recent-disturbance in Wil
mington. ,
The gavel was formally presented
through Alderman Sprunt at a special
meeting of the Board of Aldermen,
held last night It bears the follow
ing inscription : "Colonel A. M. Wad
dell. Amicus Humani Generis. Ipse
dixit, sit pax, etpax erat. November
10th, 1898." Y - f' -
Accompanying the gavel was a letter
dated Brunswick, Ga. , December 21st,
and signed by Messrs. Alfred V.
Wood, Adam G. Latta, Jno. J.
Conoley, Robert B. Wood, Ed. 8.
Nash, James W. Conoley and Albert
C. Barnes. ,
As may well be inferred the letter
commends in glowing times the course
pursued by the people of Wilmington
under Col. WaddelTs leadership
during the recent revolution. The
gavel is characterized as "an emblem
of order" and assurance is given in the
letter that the heart of every true
North Carolinian both in and out of
the State heartily sympathized with the
people of this city and thoroughly ap
proved their course.
Col. Waddell, in responding to Al
derman Sprunt's remarks in present
ing the gavel, said that the beautiful
token was a very agreeable surprise
to him and would be ever prized,
especially for the loyal sentiment
which actuated the donors in present
ing it. He declared that during those
trying days he was merely an instru
ment in the hands of the people, and
that he had done no more than hun
dreds of his constituents.
Alderman Sprunt addressed the
Board again at the conclusion of
Mayor Waddell's speech of accept
ance and referred in very compli
mentary terms to the Mayor's admin
istration, saying that he was gratified
to see with what measure he had
meted out justice to poor and rich,
affording the same protects U
asses, white and black alik.
Aldermen in attendance upon.
meeting last night were: Messrs. W.
H. Sprunt, J. Allen Taylor, F, A,'
Montgomery, C. L. Spencer and Capt
Jno. H. Hanby.
Before taking their seats as mem
bers of the Board, the oath of office.
is administered to Messrs. Mont
gomery, Spencer and Hanby, newly
elected Aldermen, by Justice Martin
Newman.
Through Alderman Taylor, Mr.
James Sprunt presented to the city a
volume of Statistics of the city of
Glasgow, which is said to be the best
governed city in the world. ,
Before the Board adjourned Mayor
Waddell stated that a meeting was not
contemplated before time for the re
gular session in January, but, in case
of an exigency, could be called to
gether at any time.
CAPE FEAR AND YADKIN.
Now Said the Reading, Pa, System Will j
Be a Strong Bidder For
the Property.
I Raleigh Post
The f oreclousure sale of the Cape
Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway is
expected to cause a lively fight in
which it is expected that the Seaboard
Air Line, the Atlantic Coast Line and
the Southern Railway will engage.
All three of these systems desire the
property. It is believed that the Phila
delphia and Reading system will be
the dart horse in the transaction.
The price will probably be away up, as
a result of sharp bidding.
The Heading is one of the most im
portant trunk lines running through
Pennsylvania, and by purchasing the
Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley would
have a through line from Wilmington
to Philadelphia, as it owns or controls
the connecting links made by the
Norfolk and Western Railroad and
the Roanoke and Southern, which has
a junction with the (Jape Fear and
Yadkin Valley at Walnut Cove.
PRISONER RELEASED.
Archie Kinsauls Taken irom Clinton Jail
by Masked Men.
Tuesday night an armed and masked
mob assaulted the jail of Sampson
county, which is located at Clinton,
N. C, and, after forcing the keys from
the jailor, took into their custody
Archie Kinsauls, who had been com
mitted to the jail for murder. Nothing
has been heard from the mob or their
prisoner and the supposition is that
the murderer was rescued by his
friends. 7.1. , .
Governor Russell was notified of
the occurrence. The sheriff wired that
he had no clue to the mob and can
not tell whether they were enemies oi
friends of Kinsauls.
Kinsauls is a white man, charged
with the murder of John Herring,
also white, in ah affray at Beaman's
Cross Roads, during the late political
campaign. j'V
Another Negro Dead in the Woods.
Dr. R. J. Price, the new county cor-
oner, was called to Cape Fear town
ship yesterday evening to view the
body of an aged negro man who was
found in the woods, killed by a gun
shot Details could not be ascertained
last night It is understood that the
negro went out alone with his gun
and is believed to have shot himself,
probably accidentally. Dr. Price car
ried Geo. H. Howell, Esq., with him
and up to a late hour last night had
not returned.
The condition of Senor Sagasta. the
Spanish premier, was somewhat better
yesterday and the attending and the
attending doctors are now hopeful of
ms recovery.
P.